These people were known as progressives. They were the backbone of a major political movement in the beginning of the 20th century. The Progressives believed that political reforms were needed because government was controlled too much by big business and by the political machines that fed off of immigrant votes. They believed that social reform was necessary because the immigrants and other poor people behaved in ways (like drinking too much) that we destructive. They wanted the middle class to be in control of the government and they wanted people to behave like middle class, "native" whites.